Tickled to announce that my distributor, Ouat Media has sold my film The Magic Projector to Air Canada.
For the next three months, you can choose it from the seat-back screening machine.
Hopefully, doing so won't result in a need to use the barf bag, which is also located on the seat-back.
Not much money in the deal for me. Pennies, to be honest (OK, possibly a hundred bucks or so). There never IS pay-back for indie projects, it seems. Especially shorts.
But it's obviously great exposure, and hopefully presents me as ever-increasingly bankable and dependable, should the opprotunity present itself to pitch a bigger project that needs investors.
Curious thing, the digital age of distribution and broadcast. A while back, I discovered (to my shock) that my film had been posted online, for any and all to watch. And it hadn't been posted by ME. But before I flipped out on who posted it, I had to ask myself- Is this a BAD situation? It's out there, getting viewed by lots of people... and the guy who posted it is not getting filthy rich on me. So I let it be, figuring what was actually happening was a broadcasting of not only my film, but my brand, the "Chris Walsh" brand. My name, my rep, doing what I do, was being spread, and that was very valuable, if not in a tangible way.
Now this deal with Air Canada comes along. Without this fairly new form of exhibition (in the form of seat-back screenings), sold to the exhibitor (Air Canada) via a distributor that pays me pennies, what's it getting me, tangibly? A few dollars. Imagine trying to make a LIVING make these animated shorts? What a joke.
But again, it broadcasts not just the film, but me- as an artist, that can get the job done, in an indie professional fashion. And that will lead only good things to my door.
It would seem that the digital age allows you remarkable amounts of exposure and contact, that in time CAN translate into real-world results.
Just make sure you've got a day job in the mean time.
2 comments:
Congrats man!!!.....
that seat back film is an amazeing thing.....you get a captive audiance for hours on end.
it was INCREDIBLE Exposure for us.....and Im sure it will be the same for you.
jriggity
Were you and Shel actively involved in the sale to the airline? In other words, are you guys active in the distribution and sales? I'm not. The distributor approached me about a year ago, I said "sure," cause I knew I couldn't give the project the attention it would need to try to get it out there. About a year went by, and then this sale. But I had nothing to do with it, which is nice cause I don't have the time (or energy) to push it so much, but I'm sure glad SOMEONE does (meaning the distributor).
How are you and Shel handling distribution and sales? Your film is playing in SO many fests, seems like its out there so much- is that just something you guys realized you'd have to do for the film, and saved some energy for that? Or do you have an "official" distributor? For example, how did YOUR sale to an airline come about? Did you guys sell it directly, or did someone else?
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